[P] basic thoughts on why I am a vegan

This was in response to a question asked in couchsurfing.com forum "Why are you a Vegetarian/Vegan"

I became a vegetarian because i was forced to look at the world around me. I became vegan because i was forced to look at my individual decision and how those then effected the world around me. For me it is about animal welfare and rights. It is a spiritual path for me. The idea that all life is precious and the preservation of said life should be priority above all else. The needless suffering for human gain in all aspects of life does little to advance humanity although it 'sustains us'. I think that in wealthy countries it is easier to eat a meat centric diet without thinking about the impact it has on the environment nor poverty. In America the government subsidizes the production of meat and dairy 80 times as much as fruit and vegetables effectively making meat and the horrendous conditions of the production of meat cheap and obtainable whereas vegetables are more expensive irradiated and shipped from over seas markets to meet demand.

Being vegan helps animals, humans, the environment as well as the spiritual evolution of humanity.

I do not advocate to everyone the switch to veganism because it may not be right for their path i do however advocate conscious consumerism. To be aware of what they are buying and what that means for the world around them. I do feel that if farming and consumption practices were changed that the production of meat would be less of a problem for me. When you mass produce anything you are then taking the individualism out of the process thinking rather of units than lives. We as humans need to separate ourselves from the process of commodifying the world to meet our needs and learn how to live congruently with the environment we live in.

It is mans basic need to subvert in order to survive but we have come to a sociocultural point where we can throw off the old notion or idea of expansion in place of a new paradigm of thought. That the world we live in is sick and diseased and it only through being conscious stewards of its evolution are we to live peacefully with the world we have chosen to dominate.

I have great hopes for humanity to be able to achieve without the wanton destruction that seems to go hand and hand with progress, because if we do not learn the lessons that must be learned we will pay dearly for our mistakes both past and future.